May 6--Pardee Homes announced that all 124 houses in its new LivingSmart Homes at Fair Oaks Ranch in Santa Clarita, Calif., will be certified to the Gold level of the National Green Building Standard.
The community, located north of Los Angeles, includes four two-story floor plans (including Plan One, left) ranging in size from 1,846 to 2,432 square feet and with starting prices from $431,950 to $454,450.
“NGBS offers builders and product suppliers a nationally recognized standard definition of green building,” Pardee president and CEO Michael McGee said in a statement. “It sets an important benchmark for our new-home quality goals—and it’s a natural fit for the continuous evolution of our green building commitment, which began 13 years ago with our first energy-efficient homes in California and Nevada.”
The homes are the first from Pardee to carry NGBS certification and are the builder’s first offerings to include solar standard. Each property will be outfitted with a 1.35-kW SunPower array, with an option to upgrade to 2.25 kW or 3.15 kW.
Expected to earn HERS scores of 62 to 63 (with scores as low as 34 with solar upgrades), each house will feature blown-in fiberglass insulation, radiant barrier roof sheathing, a reflective roof, fluorescent recessed-can lights, low-E windows, and GE Energy Star-rated appliances; a Rinnai tankless water heater with a Metlund D-Mand recirculating pump is optional.
Pardee estimates monthly utility bills for standard homes at $32 to $55 a month; upgrades will lower costs to as low as $15 a month.
BEYOND ENERGY
A number of water-conserving details also are included: WaterSense-labeled Delta faucets and showerheads, a 1.8-gpm Delta kitchen faucet, 1.28-gpf Sterling toilets, smart irrigation controls, and turf areas of less than 25%.
To boost resource efficiencies, Pardee chose Mohawk carpet with 100% recycled content, SFI-certified engineered lumber, and pre-cut lumber and trusses. The builder plans to recycle more than 50% of construction waste.
Half of the 845 acres in the greater Fair Oaks Ranch community is dedicated to open space, including a trail system, a 6-acre park, sports fields, and walking paths. The neighborhood is about five miles from Metrolink rail transit.
Katy Tomasulo is deputy editor for EcoHome.
Learn more about markets featured in this article: Los Angeles, CA.
